The Ultimate Creekside Cabin, Northern California Edition

Above a babbling creek, a vintage weekend cabin in northern California got modernized without sacrificing period details. How? Sonoma-based architect Amy Alper, a member of the Remodelista Architect and Designer Directory, essentially wrapped the old building in a new, light-filled shell to take advantage of the Calistoga property’s spectacular views:

Above: Built in the 1920s, a cabin set on a hillside above a creek in Calistoga, California was used historically as a weekend retreat. But the original floor plan didn’t take advantage of the setting; for instance, you couldn’t see the creek from the windows. Enter architect Amy Alper, with a plan to remodel the space.

Above: Alper’s design includes a double-heigh living room addition that wraps around the exterior of the cabin.

Above: A hallway addition with floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall and the preserved original exterior of the cabin on the other.

Above: “The original cabin exterior is preserved and featured as a backdrop to the new spaces,” architect Alper said in an interview with Freshome. Vintage windows were moved and reused in the model, and redwood timbers from the original deck also found a home in the modernized cabin.